Oh How the Years Go By
by lightblue-Nymphadora
Summary: Sequel to Paint this Final Night. The girls after they move from Lima. Faberrittana
1. August 2012

**Oh How the Years Go By**

_August 20th, 2012_

"Quinn, could you get that?" Rachel called. "I'm finishing an online quiz."

"No problem." Quinn walked to the door and looked out. "Oh my god!" she yelped, pulling it open.

"Not god, but the next best thing," Kurt said, smiling. He and Blaine entered the small apartment and looked around. "Love your new place."

"How…what?" Quinn asked breathlessly.

"Can we talk?" Blaine asked.

She nodded and led them to the couch.

"Quinn, who was at the—KURT!" Rachel screeched, running into the living room.

"Found you," he teased, hugging her.

"How?" Quinn asked.

"You'd be surprised what companies put on their websites," Blaine said with a smile. "Stuff like the names of their assistant managers. We knew if we found one of you, we'd find you all. So Kurt took New York City and I took Chicago. We figured those were the only two logical places, really. I found Santana, looked her up on the Yellow Pages website, and here we are."

"I just sent her a text," Quinn said, putting her phone down. "I know she's done with work, so hopefully Brittany is too."

"Why are you here?" Rachel asked quietly.

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other. "We should wait until Santana and Brittany get here. That way we can tell you the full story."

"In the meantime, where's your bathroom?" Blaine asked. "It was a long drive."

"Down the hall on the left," Quinn said.

Santana and Brittany came rushing in twenty minutes later. After hugs, and tears from Brittany, the four girls listened to their friends recount their story.

"It was…chaos after you guys left," Blaine said. "The police searched all of our houses to see if we were keeping you there. Finn and Sam got questioned a couple of times. But really, no one had a clue you guys were planning to run away. The police figured that out after about a day and a half and left us alone. I talked to one of the guys investigating, to see if they'd found anything useful. He basically told us that they were only really looking for Rachel. The rest of you were 18 already, so you could be considered runaways, but not really. If they had found you that first month, and you'd been able to prove that you were in school, they only would've brought Rachel home."

"Schue had all the glee kids go to counseling," Kurt continued, rolling his eyes. "He was really worried about Blaine, Tina and me, because we hadn't stopped looking for you."

"We wanted to call," Quinn said. "But we were so afraid they had you guys tapped or something."

"And after you stopped being on the news?" Blaine asked.

"It took us a while to get settled," Santana admitted. "I know that sounds like a cop out, but it's true. We had…a few problems when we first got here."

"After that, it was just…easier not to look back," Brittany said.

The boys nodded.

"What about our families?" Rachel asked.

"They were all insane," Kurt said. "There's no other way to put it. They…didn't expect this. They interviewed everyone together at first, and Rachel's dads told them that Quinn's parents were going to send her away. And then Russell tried to cover that up like it wasn't really going to happen. And all of them kept saying that they thought the time apart was for the best…so you'd get over each other. They were all blaming each other and yelling. That's when the police separated everyone."

"Your parents know we're here, Brittany," Blaine said.

"Wait, what?"

"They don't know exactly where we are, but…" he broke off with a sigh. "After the dust settled, they were the only ones who kept in contact with the glee club. They wanted to make sure we were okay. And they knew we were still looking for you. It was weird, before we left…like a sixth sense. They knew we'd found you, but they didn't press us for information."

"We're supposed to pass on the message that they love you," Kurt said, smiling.

At this, Brittany began to cry again. She stood and walked back into the bedroom.

"I'll go talk to her," Quinn said.

"What have you two been up to?" Santana asked the boys.

"Kurt got late admission into Julliard," Blaine said, beaming with pride.

"Oh my god, Kurt!" Rachel squealed, hugging him again. "That's—so amazing."

"I start in January," he told her. "I'm so excited. And Blaine's captain of the New Directions now."

"As you should be," Santana said.

"We've missed you guys," Blaine said.

"We've missed you too."

"And we're not here to try and talk you into coming back," Kurt assured them. "We just…needed to know that you were alright."

"We're glad you came. What happened to everyone else? Did everyone graduate?"

"Puck didn't walk, but he took Geography in summer school, so he's good. Moved down to Texas to live with a cousin. He says his pool cleaning business is off the hook. Mercedes moved to LA. Mike's at a dancing school in London, and Finn stayed in Lima. He's working at Dad's tire shop and going to community college."

"I feel like I've missed so much," Rachel said.

"Same old Lima," Blaine said.

They talked until Quinn and Brittany joined them again.

"I want to go out to dinner," Brittany said.

"I'm on a quest for some good Chicago pizza," Blaine said.

"We know a place," Quinn told him. "Let's go."

The six of them walked out into the cool evening air. Rachel linked arms with Kurt.

"I'm super proud of you," she said. "And I'm glad you came."


	2. September 2012

**Oh How the Years Go By**

_September 18th 2012_

"I still can't believe we're doing this…" Quinn muttered.

"We're going to be fine," Rachel said. "Besides," she glanced over at a sleeping Brittany. "We need this…closure."

They pulled into the Lima Bean parking lot. When Kurt had first suggested it, all four girls had laughed. It was perfect really, since that was the place they'd left from seven months before. They could see Finn, Tina, Kurt and Blaine through the window.

"Britt, we're here," Rachel said.

"Five more minutes," the blonde mumbled.

"We really don't want to prolong their suffering," Santana said, smirking. "I think Tina's about to come rushing out."

Brittany blinked and yawned. "Wait…Tina? Oh…we're here."

When they walked in, they got more than a few stares. They'd been prepared for that, though. Being plastered on the news for a month tends to cement you in people's minds when you're from a small town. To everyone's surprise, Finn jumped up and hugged Santana first. The two hadn't been on good terms when the four girls had left, so everyone was in a bit of shock.

"I spent the last few months of high school," he said when he finally let go, "wondering if there was something I could've done to protect you guys. I know we made you feel like we hated you…and I'm sorry."

"Totally accepted," she told him, smiling. "Come on, let's sit."

They stayed at the Lima Bean for an hour. Various glee club members came by to say hi and see what they'd been up to, but they had to leave eventually. They had a few more stops to make.

"I should probably—"

"No, Santana," Brittany said, as they pulled up to the brunette's former house. "I know what you're going to say, and it's not going to work. We all go together."

Santana nodded, clearly terrified, as they walked up the path to her house.

Her mom answered the door before they even rang the bell. "Come in," she said softly.

It was an awkward moment, to say the least. They all met in the living room. Santana's dad set down his paper when they entered.

He smiled slightly. "You were always so stubborn, Santana," he said. "_Como su abuela_, no one could ever tell you anything. We thought it was a phase…but apparently not."

"No," she said.

"What are your plans now?" he asked.

"Rachel and I will have our GEDs by December. Then Quinn and Brittany will start theirs. It was too expensive for all of us to do it at the same time."

"I'm sure. And now? You're doing okay?"

"We are."

"I suppose that's all we can ask for then," he said, smiling and going back to his paper.

"Wait…" Santana said. "That's it?"

"_Mija_, this is you we're talking about. We may have thought it was a phase, but you're still your overprotective self. If anything had gone wrong…if you hadn't been able to handle it…you wouldn't have let them suffer," she said, nodding to the other three girls. "You would've come home. Or at least asked for help. And once Kurt and Blaine said they found you…we reconciled ourselves to the situation. Just promise us one thing."

"What's that?"

"You'll keep going with your education. And you have to let us know if Rachel picks Julliard or NYADA," she said smiling.

"Right…right…well, we have to get going. We're going to see…everyone," Santana said. She was having trouble wrapping her mind around the fact that no one was shouting and she wasn't begging for forgiveness.

"Okay. Where are you staying?"

"With Blaine. He has his own wing of the house."

"Call us tomorrow. We want to see you again before you leave."

"I will."

They trooped back to the car. Rachel noticed that Quinn was crying. "Baby?"

"I'm fine," the blonde whispered.

"Bullshit," Santana said gently. "If you don't want to—"

"No. We talked to your parents…we're talking to mine too. Just don't expect the same outcome."

"You never know, Quinn," Brittany said.

"Yes," she said, kissing her cheek. "I do. And I think, deep down, so do you three. Let's just get this over with."

* * *

"Train wreck" didn't even begin to describe it. Quinn's dad was a raving lunatic. And her mom was drunk. Already. At noon. There was a lot of yelling on the front lawn, and accusations of various things. They only stayed for five minutes. Quinn took it better than the other three had expected.

"Suspicions confirmed," she said, putting her seatbelt back on.

"My parents know we're coming," Brittany said. "I think your parents told them, Santana."

"Well then," Santana said. "Let's not keep them waiting.

For the third time that day, they were intercepted at the door. Mrs. Pierce, sobbing, somehow managed to hug all four of them at once.

"Let's let them come in, honey," Mr. Pierce said.

They ended up staying longer than they'd planned, as the Pierces insisted on feeding them. Mrs. Pierce, in particular, was convinced that they'd been living off of Subway, McDonald's and Chef Boyardee for the past seven months. It wasn't true, but the girls still thoroughly enjoyed the steak dinner she made for them.

Santana hung back as the other four helped Mr. Piece put some of Brittany's things in the car. "Do you hate me?" she asked Mrs. Pierce.

"I tried, for a while," the older woman said. "But…you and Brittany have always had a connection. You keep her…grounded in reality, shall we say? I knew you'd look after her. Go on…you still have to talk to Rachel's dads."

Santana gave Mrs. Pierce one last hug before walking to the car.

* * *

They were the only ones who hadn't been waiting at the door. They hadn't even answered the door until the third ring.

"Rachel," her dad said. "You should go."

"What?"

"I don't know what you expected by returning…but you made your decision. You abandoned your family and your dreams. We have nothing more to say to you."

"I left because they needed me. And you were keeping me away from them!"

"We loved you. We just wanted to see you succeed."

None of the girls missed the way he said "loved".

"You loved showing me off," Rachel said quietly. "The awards…the voice. The diva attitude."

"Yes. That was all a part of you."

"Well, I'm sorry for taking that away from you," she said bitterly. "But it's still me. I'm still going to make it in New York. It's just not on the timeline you imagined."

Her dad sighed. "Please…don't come back."

"Come on, Rachel," Quinn said, quietly pulling her away. "Let's go."

Rachel looked back at her house one last time, before letting her girlfriends pull her away.


	3. July 2014

**Oh How the Years Go By**

_July 10th, 2014_

Brittany wasn't used to this. They each had their roles in the family, and it was what made the relationship work. Santana was the protector. God help you if you fucked with any of them while she was there—or if she found out later and could easily track you down. Quinn was, for lack of a better term, the mommy. She was the one who fussed over everyone, all the time. Rachel was the drill sergeant. She's put everyone's schedule into a color-coded spreadsheet and taped it to the fridge, next to the shopping list and menu for the week. Brittany had thought this was insane at first, but after two years of it, she'd realized that it did make everything run more smoothly.

As for her, she was their optimist. Their goddamn ball of sunshine when everything else seemed pitch black. But she was having a hard time being the optimist this week, because the rest of them weren't living up to their roles either. She wasn't sure how it had gotten started, but Quinn and Santana were having a bit of a…rough time. They all had them from time to time, but this one was…louder.

"I wonder if they even remember about tomorrow," Rachel said sadly as she dried the dishes Brittany handed to her.

Brittany sighed. "I don't know. But it doesn't matter. They're fighting over nothing, and if they're going to miss tomorrow for that, then…." She broke off, shrugging. "I'll be there though."

"God damn it, Santana!" they heard.

The next second, Quinn came storming out of the room. She grabbed her jacket, but only made it to the front door before Brittany stopped her. "I need some air."

"Not at 11 o'clock at night in the middle of not quite the greatest neighborhood in Chicago. I know you're mad at Santana right now, but that's no reason to make Rachel and me worry."

Quinn's face softened a bit. "Fine. I'm going to stay in the guest room tonight."

Brittany nodded and kissed her. "Good night."

"Night."

Rachel watched her go before walking over to Brittany. "You sleep with Santana, and I'll stay with Quinn."

"Nope," Brittany said, going over to their couch. She moved the cushions and pulled out the futon. "You and I are in here tonight. Because a) it's not fair for them to expect us to choose sides whenever they have a fight, and b) you shouldn't be around all that negative energy before your big day," Brittany ended with a smile. "Come on, let's go to sleep."

* * *

Quinn woke up late the next day. The bed was empty other than herself, and she fought back tears. She felt the bed dip behind her and a pair of arms wrap around her waist.

"They slept on the futon," Santana said. "I don't really blame them."

Quinn stayed still and said nothing.

"I'm sorry."

That caught her attention. She turned around, wide eyed. Santana never apologized. Not verbally at least. Quinn was tempted to start looking for the Four Horsemen and listening for trumpets.

Her shock must've been obvious, because Santana smiled a bit. "I know…Normally I think saying sorry doesn't have as much impact as showing you that I'm sorry…making it right. But this time…it's really all I can do." She paused for a moment, and pulled Quinn closer. "I shouldn't have said that stuff. None of it was true. We need you. We would be… we wouldn't be the same if you left. Especially me. I'm so sorry."

"Forgiven. And I'm sorry as well. I'm going to go make breakfast."

"It'll just be for us two. Brittany and Rachel went somewhere."

"I wonder—oh shit!" Quinn ran out of the bedroom to the kitchen, Santana right behind her.

"What is it?"

"We're idiots," Quinn said, looking at Rachel's schedule. "Look at today."

"FUCK! Why didn't she remind us it was her NYADA tryouts?"

"She didn't want to bother us when we were pissed. Let's go."

Fortunately, the school where the auditions were being held was close and there was very little traffic. When they got there, they immediately spotted Brittany in the audience.

"Second round," Brittany said coolly when they sat down. "Everyone did a musical number, now they're doing a normal song."

"We're sorry, Britt," Santana whispered.

"Rachel's the one who's been stressed out…not me."

"Yeah, but you're a little peeved at us too," Quinn said, taking her hand.

Brittany leaned over and kissed her. "Now shhh. They're about to start."

Rachel took the stage after two boys. She smiled brightly, and they knew she'd seen them. The piano started, and she began to sing.

_In our time of trouble_  
_We only had ourselves_  
_Nobody else_  
_No one was there to save us_  
_We had to save ourselves_

_And when the storms came through_  
_They found me and you_  
_Back together_  
_And when the sun would shine_  
_It was yours and mine_  
_Yours and mine forever_

_Oh how the years go by_  
_Oh how the love brings tears to my eyes_  
_All through the changes, the soul never dies_  
_We fight, we laugh, we cry_  
_As the years go by_

_There were times we stumbled_  
_They thought they had us down_  
_We came around_  
_How we rolled and rambled_  
_We got lost and we got found_  
_Now we're back on solid ground_

_We took everything_  
_All our times would bring_  
_In this world of danger_  
_'cause when your heart is strong_  
_You know you're not alone_  
_In this world of strangers_

_Oh how the years go by_  
_Oh how the love brings tears to my eyes_  
_All through the changes, the soul never dies_  
_We fight, we laugh, we cry_  
_As the years go by_

_If we lose our way_  
_Any night or day_  
_Well, we'll always be_  
_I'm there for you_  
_And I know you're there for me_

_As the years go by_  
_You know you're not alone_  
_In this world of strangers_

_Oh how the years go by_  
_Oh how the love brings tears to my eyes_  
_All through the changes, the soul never dies_  
_We fight, we laugh, we cry_  
_As the years go by_  
_As the years go by_

The audience stood and clapped as Rachel finished. Santana, Quinn and Brittany cheered the hardest.


	4. December 2014

**Oh How the Years Go By**

_December 24th, 2014_

Quinn woke up and looked at the clock. It was two in the morning, and the fact that she could see the clock without moving meant Brittany wasn't there. She slipped out of bed and wandered down the hall. There was a light on in the living room. "Whatcha doing, Ducky?" she asked, yawning.

"Remembering," Brittany answered with a smile. "This Christmas feels…right."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…it's perfect. All of us are okay. Remember our first Christmas in Chicago?"

Quinn laughed. "God…how could I forget?"

* * *

_December 24th 2012_

"_How are you feeling, Ducky?" Quinn asked tiredly. She was trying to stay cheerful for all of them, but it was proving extremely difficult._

"_I hate the flu."_

"_I know. But you should be over it soon. Do you want some more apple juice?"_

_Just then, the sound of violent puking came from down the hall._

"_No…go check on Ray Bear."_

"_Okay. I love you."_

"_Lvvsfmptwooo," Brittany mumbled into her pillow._

_Quinn went down the hall, stopping for a second to peek into the spare room. Santana had fallen asleep by now. Thank goodness. She turned to her left and pushed the door to the bathroom open. "Baby girl?"_

"_Quinn…my stomach hurts," Rachel whispered._

"_I gathered," Quinn said gently. She pulled Rachel's hair back into a pony tail. "And your fever's not going away."_

"_No, Quinn, I mean my stomach really hurts."_

_Quinn paused for a moment. "Sharp pain on the right side?"_

_Rachel nodded._

"_Okay, stay right here for just a second. I'll be right back. Take deep breaths." She raced back to Brittany's room. "Brittany, I'm taking Rachel to the hospital."_

"_What? What's wrong?" _

"_I think she has appendicitis. But don't worry!" Quinn said, seeing Brittany's eyes fill with tears. "She's going to be fine. I'm going to set an alarm on your phone, okay? When it goes off, if I'm not back, I need you to wake Santana up and make sure she takes her medicine. _

"_Okay," Brittany said quietly._

"_Hey, everything's going to be fine. I love you."_

"_Love you."_

_Quinn ran back to the bathroom and helped Rachel to the car. By the time they got to the hospital, the tiny diva was in tears. Bad for Quinn's fragile nerves, but good in the fact that it got Rachel attention immediately. _

"_It's definitely appendicitis," the nurse told Quinn after the preliminary screening. "We're taking her to OR now."_

"_I don't want to have surgery, Quinn," Rachel cried._

"_Honey, it's kind of necessary," Quinn said as calmly as she could. "I'll be right here when you get out, okay? I love you." She sat on the hard blue chairs as they wheeled Rachel away. After a few minutes of silently staring at a wall and crying, she took out her phone._

"_Hola, my Quinn!" Clara Lopez said brightly. "Is everything okay? Why are you calling so late?"_

_Quinn tried to hold back a sob, but it didn't quite work. "Brittany's got the flu, Santana has pneumonia, and Rachel has appendicitis," she explained. "I've been trying to take care of them, but I can't do it. I'm at the hospital right now. They just took Rachel back for surgery and—"_

"_I'm on my way."_

* * *

"I was so tired and panicked that I had to call her," Quinn said.

"At least now we know why Santana drives so fast. She got it from Mama Clara…."

Quinn laughed.

"But it was hard. And we didn't really have Christmas until New Years when we were all better. Then last year…."

"Santana and Rachel were fighting."

"At least they managed to get it together by Christmas Eve."

"Late Christmas Eve…."

* * *

_December 24th 2013_

"_Where are they?" Brittany asked._

"_I don't know," Quinn said. "But I'm tired, and I know you're tired, so let's just get to sleep. They'll come back eventually."_

_Brittany nodded but couldn't bring herself to close her eyes. Once she knew Quinn was asleep, she crawled out of bed. She could hear low voices in the living room, and stood in the hall to listen._

"_Why did it bother you so much?"_

"_Because…."_

"_Santana, please…I don't want to fight anymore. I'm sorry that I hurt you, but I really need to understand why you got so upset."_

"_Because that was supposed to be me, damn it!"_

"…_confused…"_

"_Rachel, it was your first audition. I knew you were nervous, but if you wanted someone to be there with you, you should've asked! I'm always… I'm always the one you come to when you're scared. It should've been me there with you. Or Quinn, or Brittany, or all of us, but not…not Finn."_

_Brittany tensed. Finn had always been a bit of a sore subject with Santana. The two had buried the hatchet, sure, but she still didn't really trust him._

"_I'm sorry…." Rachel said after a pause. "He was in town and we met up for coffee. He could tell I was nervous, and he offered. I didn't think about it."_

_Brittany chanced a look around the corner, and saw Santana hug Rachel._

"_I know…I'm sorry too. I should've just…told you. But you were being stubborn and it was just pissing me off more. Sorry for all the yelling."_

"_It's about time, don't you think," Quinn whispered in Brittany's ear._

_Brittany jumped._

"_Come on out, you two," Santana called. _

_Quinn and Brittany had the decency to look sheepish as they entered the living room._

"_Everything back to rainbows and unicorns?" Brittany asked._

"_Yeah, Britt," Santana said, laughing._

"_Good, because I'm tired as fuck," Quinn said. "Christmas morning make up sex tomorrow, but for now, we're sleeping."_

* * *

"Chicago Christmases were always crazy," Brittany said. "But this Christmas we're in New York together, Rachel's at NYADA, no one's sick, no one's fighting, the gnomes even stopped stealing our socks for once. I definitely like New York Christmases better."

"Me too, Ducky." Quinn kissed her cheek.

"Why are all my blondes gone?" Rachel asked, walking into the living room.

"We're coming back now, Rach," Quinn said. She took both of their hands and led them back into their room.


	5. September 2015

**Oh How the Years Go By**

_September 5th, 2015_

"Rachel?" Santana called. "Come here and tell me I'm reading your crazy schedule right…."

"Reading it _correctly_, Miss Ivy League, Pre-law…" Rachel corrected. "What is it?"

"Brittany and Quinn are gone all day."

"Yes…"

"But you and I aren't."

Realization dawned in Rachel's eyes. "This never happens!" she whispered.

"We can—"

"All day!"

"You go get the stuff, I'll make food," Santana said, bouncing over to the pantry.

* * *

"B5."

"Miss. E7."

"Hit. C4."

"Hit. You sunk my battleship." Santana pried the toy boat off of her board and tossed it to the side.

The two were sitting at the coffee table with stacks of board games piled on both sides of them. Both were hopelessly addicted to board games, but their girlfriends weren't exactly indulgent in this matter. Quinn got bored fast, and Brittany could only get through about half of a game before getting confused. Thus, on the rare occasions when they had a day off together and their girlfriends weren't around to give them grief about it, they played games.

"I don't get how you do that," Santana muttered, concentrating on her own board. "D7."

"Miss. I'm psychic," Rachel said, wiggling her eyebrows at her girlfriend. "A1."

"I hate you."

"You love me. And that's two wins for me! What's next, Santana."

"Operation. And you're going down."

* * *

"Connect Four!"

"You know you don't actually have to say that, Rachel," Santana said, laughing. "They just do it for the commercials so you won't forget what you're supposed to be buying."

"I know, but I like to win with flourish."

"Dear god…. Okay, that's two more wins for you. Grab Don't Wake Daddy."

* * *

"Fucking hell!"

"Language, Santana," Rachel said, grinning.

"I can't even win at Candyland!"

"Want to try your luck with Chutes and Ladders?"

"You're on, Berry."

* * *

"Finally."

"You won at Hungry Hippos, love. That's not impressive."

"I'll show you 'impressive'. On to Kerplunk!"

* * *

"Fuck this shit…."

"Language, Rachel…."

"Oh, shut up."

"Not so hot, now that I'm winning, huh?"

"Bitch, please. I'm always hot."

"I've had a bad influence on you…."

"Where'd we put Don't Break the ice?"

* * *

"Trouble?"

"Of course I am."

"Shut up and grab the game…."

* * *

"I don't understand how someone can lose _that badly_ at Forbidden Bridge."

"We're settling this with a game of Mouse Trap."

"We only have three hours until Quinn and Brittany get back. It takes about that long to set that game up."

"Not if you actually help this time."

* * *

"It's a tie."

"It can't be a tie!"

"I won Don't Wake Daddy, Hungry Hippos, Kerplunk!, Don't Break the Ice, Trouble, and Mouse Trap. You won the other six. We tied."

"We have one left…."

Santana looked at her watch. "We have to make it quick."

* * *

"You're cheating!"

"Am not!"

"You only get to move one space."

"The spinner clearly says two! Hey! Stop tickling me!"

"I didn't. I poked you. Out of frustration."

"Take your stupid purple ring so we can finish the game!"

* * *

Quinn smiled brightly as Brittany got into the subway car. They usually got to ride home together, so Quinn had saved her a seat. "Hey gorgeous! How was your day?"

"Long. We're getting ready for a showcase at school, and I have to get the kindergarteners ready for their recital at work. I feel like I haven't stopped moving since this morning."

"Aw, Ducky," Quinn said, wrapping her arms around the taller girl. "Was it fun, at least?"

"Some of it. I'm definitely not cut out to be a kindergarten teacher though. Max said he'll put me back with the middle schoolers after this."

"Good. How about we get off one stop early and pick up dinner. You know our other half haven't cooked."

Brittany snorted. "A day off together alone? They're either having sex or playing board games."

"Or both."

* * *

Quinn dug around in her bag for the keys as Brittany stood with the bags.

"Hurry, Quinn!" she said, bouncing. "I really have to pee!"

"I've got to carry a smaller bag," Quinn muttered. "Got them!" She opened the door and stopped.

Brittany peeked over her shoulder and almost started laughing.

Santana and Rachel were curled up on the floor, asleep. They were decked out in fake jewelry, and the Pretty Pretty Princess box and game were open on the table.

Quinn put a finger to her lips and she and Brittany went into the kitchen. She grabbed Santana's camera and took a few pictures. Quietly, she tiptoed to their bedroom, leaving her two girlfriends asleep.

* * *

"Thanks for picking up dinner, guys," Rachel said.

"Yeah," Santana agreed. "We would've cooked, but…eh…"

"Got sidetracked," Quinn finished, smiling. "It's fine. I've been craving a bacon cheeseburger anyway."

"You're always craving bacon, Q," Brittany said.

"True."

"God, why does my phone keep buzzing?" Santana grumbled, getting up from the table. She unlocked it and saw that she had upwards of 40 Facebook messages. "What the hell?"

Quinn kept her head down, trying not to smile.

"What did you do?" Rachel and Brittany asked.

Silently, far too calmly, Santana passed the phone to Rachel and Brittany. "Lucy Quinn Lopez…you are a dead woman," she said, calmly going back to her food.

"Oh shit," Brittany said grinning. Giving the other girls her last name was Santana's way of saying "Your ass is mine tonight."

Rachel looked back at the phone, shaking her head. "Just wait…the next time we catch you and Brittany watching Saturday morning cartoons in your footie pajamas, that picture's going on Facebook too…."


	6. June 2018

**Oh How the Years Go By**

_June 4th 2018_

"No."

"Oh come on, Rachel! Just once? We'll never get to do this again!"

"Santana! These are the hallowed halls of NYADA! This is my school! The place where my Broadway dreams went from abstract to goddamn attainable! We can't just—mmph!" Rachel tried not to melt into Santana's arms as the older girl kissed her. It wasn't working. She pinched her, hoping that would at least get her to step back.

No such luck. Santana just purred into the kiss. "You know I like it rough, baby girl…."

"Santana!" Rachel squeaked. "That was supposed to be a deterrent! We are not having sex in the choir room with an hour until graduation!"

"What do you think Quinn and Brittany are doing in the dance studio?" Santana asked, smirking. "Are you really going to let them outdo us?"

"I thought we had a 'no competition' agreement somewhere in the rulebook…."

"And for the most part, we stick to it…. However, I cannot accept defeat today."

"Santanaaaaaa…."

"Just trying to make your dreams come true, Rach. I know for a fact that this was number 42 in your fantasy journal."

"YOU FOUND THAT?"

"How the hell else would I have known that you wanted me and Quinn to dress up like Hermione and Pansy and—"

"Okay, okay! I get it…." Rachel looked at her watch.

"All I need is ten minutes," Santana whispered, seriously invading Rachel's personal space again.

"You locked the door?"

"Yep."

"And no teasing?"

"Straight to business. You do have a ceremony to attend."

Rachel smiled.

* * *

"How'd it go?" Quinn asked as she and Santana sat down.

"Operation Stop Rachel from Panicking was successful."

"How long did she argue?"

"Not as long as I thought she would. Had to appeal to her sense of competition though."

"Huh?"

"Told her you and Britt were getting it on in the dance hall," Santana explained in a whisper.

"How did you know?"

Santana paused and then grinned. "Seriously, Fabray?"

"Rachel's not the only one with a fantasy journal…."

"But I haven't found yours yet."

"And you never will, love."

"Oh, Quinn…it's on now."

Quinn just smiled and shook her head as the band began to play. She strained to see Rachel as the graduates filed in.

"There she is," Santana said, spotting her first. "Second row."

The diva gave them a small wave and held up seven fingers.

"Seven?" Santana asked.

"Brittany's row," Quinn said, pointing back.

Santana smiled brightly and gave the taller blonde a thumbs up. She was proud of both her girls, but she couldn't help being especially proud of Brittany. The blonde had been determined to graduate at the same time as Rachel, and she'd done it.

* * *

_Santana was cold, and cold meant that Brittany wasn't snuggling her. The other two were fast asleep, so Santana slipped from bed as quietly as she could. When she got into the hall, she could hear quiet crying coming from the living room. "Britt? Baby what's wrong?" she asked when she found the girl._

"_They were right," Brittany sobbed. "I'm an idiot."_

_Santana saw red for a moment before moving to hold the girl. "Whoever 'they' are, I'll need names and addresses so I can kick their asses."_

"_Won't matter. They'll be bloody, you'll be in jail, and I'll still be an idiot."_

"_Hey," Santana said firmly. "You are not an idiot, Brittany. Don't ever think that. Everyone has subjects that they struggle with. What are you working on?"_

"_Antatomy and Kinesiology," Brittany said, sniffling._

"_Jesus…I'd be having trouble with this stuff too!"_

"_I just…."_

"_Just what, Britt?" Santana asked, kissing her. _

"_I just want to graduate with Rachel. We started together…I wanted to end together too. It's just one class that I need. One fucking class…."_

"_Hey…calm down. Let's go to bed, and tomorrow we'll see if we can…figure it out together or something. If not, we'll get you a tutor. It's still early in the semester, it won't be too hard to catch up."_

_Brittany leaned her head onto Santana's shoulder and nodded._

* * *

"You okay?" Quinn whispered as the dean blathered on about success and the arts.

"Fine…just really proud of them, you know?"

"I know."

It was over within two hours. They got through the actual walking-across-the-stage bit in thirty minutes, but the heads of departments felt the need to fill the rest of the space with speeches. Just before the president dismissed them, he gave a nod to the band. Rachel walked forward to the front of the class and took the microphone.

_I've been waiting for my dreams  
To turn into something  
I could believe in  
And looking for that  
Magic rainbow  
On the horizon  
I couldn't see it  
Until I let go  
Gave into love and watched all the bitterness burn  
Now I'm coming alive  
Body and soul  
And feelin' my world start to turn_

_And I'll taste every moment_  
_And live it out loud_  
_I know this is the time,_  
_This is the time_  
_To be more than a name_  
_Or a face in the crowd_  
_I know this is the time_  
_This is the time of my life_  
_Time of my life_

_Holding onto things that vanished_  
_Into the air_  
_Left me in pieces_  
_But now I'm rising from the ashes_  
_Finding my wings_  
_And all that I needed_  
_Was there all along_  
_Within my reach_  
_As close as the beat of my heart_

_So I'll taste every moment_  
_And live it out loud_  
_I know this is the time,_  
_This is the time to be_  
_More than a name_  
_Or a face in the crowd_  
_I know this is the time_  
_This is the time of my life_  
_Time of my life_

_And I'm out on the edge of forever_  
_Ready to run_  
_I'm keeping my feet on the ground_  
_My arms open wide_  
_My face to the sun_

_I'll taste every moment_  
_And live it out loud_  
_I know this is the time,_  
_This is the time to be_  
_More than a name_  
_Or a face in the crowd_  
_I know this is the time_  
_This is the time of my life_  
_Time of my life_  
_More than a name_  
_Or a face in the crowd_  
_This is the time_  
_This is the time of my life._  
_This is the time of my life._

* * *

"You were fantastic."

All four girls turned to their left as they exited the auditorium. Leroy Berry stood there, leaning against a street lamp. "Fantastic."

"Daddy?" Rachel whispered.

Leroy took a few steps toward the group, but Santana got in between him and the other girls.

"Close enough. You're joking, right? Coming back after all this?"

"Santana," Quinn said, softly.

"I'd like a chance to talk to you. All of you," Leroy said. "I'm not going to make excuses for what I did, but I know that it was…the worst decision I've ever made. I'd like to take you to dinner, if that's alright. The four of you."

Rachel glanced at Quinn.

"It's up to you," the blonde said.

Rachel sighed and nodded at her father. "Dinner. That's all."

"That's all I wanted."

They made their way down to Rachel and Brittany's favorite restaurant. It was a vegan place, but Santana and Quinn liked it a lot too. They ordered and sat in an awkward silence. It didn't seem to bother Leroy though. He sipped his water and smiled at them.

"No offense, Mr. Berry, but you're starting to creep me out," Quinn said a few minutes after their food arrived.

"Sorry," he said, chuckling. "I'm just…happy you agreed to this."

"You're not eating," Rachel noticed.

"I tend to pick at my food these days."

"You're sick," she said. It wasn't a question. Something triggered in her mind, and she knew she was right.

There was silence for a moment, then Leroy nodded.

"The treatments have been going well though. That was one of the reasons I moved back to New York. Better access to the treatments I needed."

"And the other reasons?"

"You. Just you. I'm…." He trailed off laughing. "If I were you I wouldn't even want to hear an apology…. Nevertheless, I'm sorry. I didn't…I didn't want to go through this without having told you. By the way…your friends in Lima are ridiculously hard to drag information out of…. One of them, who will remain nameless, told me that he didn't do six months of searching just so I could swipe it off of him."

"Kurt," all four girls said.

Leroy nodded. "I'm sorry to bring you guys down tonight…I'm sure you were planning on celebrating. So you and Brittany are finished?"

"For good," Rachel said, managing a small smile. "And Britt has a job teaching dance."

"Middle schoolers. I'm terrified."

"I'm sure you'll be fine. How are you doing, Quinn? Santana?"

"I'll be finished in a year," Santana answered. "Then it's law school."

"Teaching after this year," Quinn said.

The rest of the dinner was quiet. No one really knew how to process everything that had happened. As they walked out, Rachel gave her father a small hug.

"I'm glad you came. I…I can't deal with all of this at once, but I'm happy you were here. Maybe…next week we can go for coffee? I know you said that stuff about not making excuses…but I really need one. I need to know why…."

"Coffee next week sounds amazing," Leroy said happily.

"Just one question…."

"Yes?"

"Where's Dad?"

Leroy looked at the ground. "He and I aren't together anymore. I'll explain everything next week, okay?"

Rachel just nodded.

"Monday at the Starbucks on Main?"

"That's fine," she said, looking up at him again. "Here's my number." She'd scribbled on the back of a napkin.

"Have a good weekend. And Rachel?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. For the second chance."

She smiled over to where her girlfriends were obviously eavesdropping. "It's kind of what I do. And so far it's worked out great."

_**LbN: Do we want to see Leroy's explanation? Or more about Rachel and Quinn's fantasy journals? :) Let me know!**_


	7. June 2018 pt 2

**Oh How the Years Go By**

_June 7th, 2018_

"Are you ready?" Quinn asked.

"No. But we're going in anyway," Rachel told her, smiling slightly.

"It's going to be fine," Quinn said, holding the door to Starbucks open for her.

"Good morning girls," Leroy said as they walked over.

"Good morning," Quinn said. "I'm going to go order. Usual, Rachel?"

"Thanks," she said, nodding. She watched Quinn walk over to the counter, then turned back to her father. "How are you?"

"Tired today. But it's a lot better knowing I get to talk to you."

"I'm going to try to get through this without crying, but I make no promises."

"I probably won't make it past the first two sentences, so…." He smiled and shrugged.

"What happened?" Rachel finally asked after a few minutes of silence. "Why didn't…why didn't you even talk to me?"

Leroy looked down at his bottled water for a moment. "After you left…all the parents went a bit…"

"Psychotic?"

"That's a good way to put it, actually. We blamed each other—we blamed ourselves. And your dad and I…we started fighting. And then he started saying you abandoned the family. When you came back, I was starting to lose him. It wasn't your fault," he said, looking at her sternly. "We've had underlying…issues forever. We were able to put them aside when you came into our lives, and helping you reach your goals was what kept us focused. And we did love each other, in a way. But once you left, we couldn't direct our attention to anything else. Then I got sick."

"You never called," Rachel whispered. Quinn had come back by now with their teas, and Rachel was gripping her hand tightly.

"No…. I didn't have your number for a while. And then when I did…I didn't know what to say."

Tears run down Rachel's face, and she stands to hug him.

Quinn watches them, smiling and crying at once.

* * *

Santana turned to look at them as soon as they walked in. It was clear that she'd been pacing for the past hour.

Rachel smiled at her, then turned and pulled Quinn into a tight hug. "Thank you," she whispered. "I know that was probably agonizing for you."

"Yes and no," Quinn said, pulling away so Santana could hug them too. "I'm just really glad you have him back in your life."

"Me too."

Santana looks at both of them and makes an executive decision on the spot. "This morning was emotionally draining," she said, completely unnecessarily. "So…Q, hit the guest bedroom. Rachel, our bedroom. I'm going to make…." She glanced at the clock. "I guess this is what they call brunch…in the meantime, you two take a nap."

"Why are you separating us like five year olds?" Quinn asked, managing to smirk.

"Because this entire family can be shit at dealing with our emotions sometimes. Except Brittany."

"She's teaching today, right?" Rachel asked.

Santana nodded. "Anyway, you two need to have some alone time to think. So…nap, then we eat."

The blonde smiled over at Rachel, who shrugged. They both leaned in and kissed Santana.

"Aye, aye, captain," Quinn said with a wink.

The word "Captain" just reminds Santana to keep searching for the blonde's fantasy notebook. She watches her girls walk down the hall before heading to the kitchen to make vegan omelets.


	8. May 2019

_**LbN: There's no smut. Just allusions to smut. So don't get your hopes up too much. :)**_

_May 25th, 2019_

Quinn smiled down at Santana. It wasn't often that she woke up before her girlfriend, so she was always happy to take the opportunity to watch her sleep. She had to leave today, however, so she leaned down and kissed her. "Santana," she sang. "Wake up…."

"It's Saturday," the younger girl groaned.

"I have your graduation present."

"Another one?" Santana asked, confused. She'd already gotten a new phone from the blonde.

"Yep."

Something about the way Quinn was smiling at her made her sit up. "What?"

Quinn's smile just got bigger as she held out a tiny portable flash drive to Santana. "I have to go to work. You have until I get back."

"What? What is this?"

Quinn kissed her and sauntered out of the room.

"Lucy Quinn Fabray! I'm confused!" Santana called after her.

"You're my smart lawyer! You'll figure it out. You can pick three."

Three? Santana heard her chuckle. "You're evil," she muttered. She'd wanted to sleep in that day, but now she couldn't. What the hell was Q giving her a flash drive for? They all had about three apiece, and there were six extra in the kitchen junk drawer. Grumbling, she threw on some sweats and fired up her laptop.

There was only two files on the flash drive, but they took up an entire gigabyte. The first was named "Vanilla" and the second was "Not so Vanilla". Something clicked in Santana's mind. She opened "Vanilla" first, and broke into a wide grin.

Quinn had given Santana her fantasy journal.

Pure, unadulterated joy was coursing through her at that moment. She couldn't even read the screen, because she was, in fact, shaking with excitement. It had been a year…an entire bloody year of searching for this—and Quinn had finally taken pity on her.

She loved her girlfriend sometimes.

Taking a couple of deep breaths to get over the initial shock of things, she looked at the clock. Rachel would be out all day practicing for the play she was in. Brittany was teaching dance until six. And Quinn would be back from work by two. Time to start reading.

_Something about the idea of Santana and Rachel stripping is really appealing._

_I want to cover Rachel in ice cream toppings and watch Santana and Brittany lick it off of her. _

_Brittany and me as Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. Rachel and Santana as Catwoman and Batman._

* * *

Two hours later, Santana was chugging water and convinced that this was Quinn's method of killing her. The blonde couldn't expect her to survive reading this stuff. She'd rediscovered a few things about her lovely girlfriend.

Number one: Quinn was a grade-A freak. In the good way. Not only were her deepest desires written out, they came with commentary.

Number two: Rachel was Quinn's favorite. Sure they all loved each other, and no one ever explicitly stated that they had a favorite…but it was there. Quinn was possessive of Rachel the way Santana was possessive of Brittany. And boy howdy, did it show with her list of naughty thoughts.

Number three: Quinn was possibly a psychopath. Santana was pretty sure that about half of the ones she'd read were not physically possible.

She pulled out her phone to see if Quinn had sent her a text. She hadn't, but Brittany and Rachel had.

_From R: This director is KILLING me! If he tells me to "turn up the sexy" one more time, I'M going Lima Heights Adjacent…._

_From B: Who thought spandex for 13 year old boys was a good idea? I'm sick of seeing tiny boners when I walk into the dance hall!_

Santana chuckled and replied to both of them. It was noon, so Quinn would probably be on her break by now. She held down the number two on her phone and listened to it ring.

"Hello beautiful," Quinn answered.

Somehow, Santana knew the blonde was smirking. "You. Are. Evil."

Quinn laughed. "You've been searching for a year. Isn't this way easier? I even reorganized it for you."

"Evil. I can't even…."

"Is there a point to this conversation?" Quinn asked, obviously trying not to laugh.

"Yes, there is Quinn Lopez," Santana said. She smiled when Quinn stopped laughing. "When are you getting home?"

"I'll be out of here at two."

"Good. Because we're starting with number 56." With that, Santana hung up. She hoped Quinn was as sexually frustrated as she was.

* * *

Rachel walked in, beyond ready to see her girlfriends. "Guys?" she called softly.

"Shh, they're both asleep."

"Hey Sant—why are you wearing my lion sweater…and my skirt…and my headband?"

"That's nothing…. You should see Q in Brittany's dance leotard."

Rachel thought for a second. "And Brittany's dressed up like…"

"Me."

"So that leaves…."

"There's a Cheerios uniform hanging up in the bathroom. I'll go wake the other two."

Sometimes Rachel wondered what she'd gotten herself into….


	9. November 2021

**Oh How the Years Go By**

_November 11th, 2021_

Rachel took a deep breath. She wasn't nervous, which was a surprise. This was the moment she'd been waiting for her entire life. She was starring in a Broadway play, but she was completely calm. She wondered if she'd had a mental breakdown somewhere along the way and was now incapable of panic. She turned toward the door, hearing a knock. "Come in!"

"Hey baby girl," Santana said, slipping into the room with a rose. "Just came to wish you good luck."

"Thank you," Rachel said, hugging her tightly. "I'm so glad you're here."

"We're all here. Britt and Q got swarmed by the media. You know how they are when all four of us are out together."

"But you managed to sneak away," Rachel said, smirking. Her wife was notoriously impatient with the media.

"Exactly. Do you need anything?"

"Actually I'm okay. No, I take that back. I do need something."

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me?"

Santana smiled and gave her three kisses—on the forehead, nose, and one on the lips. "Better?"

"Much. Now, go save your other two wives from the reporters while I put my makeup on."

"You're going to be great, Rachel."

* * *

"Leroy!" Quinn gasped.

The man smiled at the three girls as his nurse wheeled him into their balcony. "Did you really think I'd let anything stand in the way of seeing her opening night?" he said quietly.

The lights went down a few minutes later and the music started.

It was everything they thought it would be. Rachel was fantastic as Mimi. Santana and Quinn both cried during Another Day, and Brittany was praying to every deity she knew that they let Rachel keep the Catscratch Club costume…. During intermission, Santana noticed that Leroy didn't look well.

"You okay, Mr. B?"

"I may need to leave," he said weakly. "Will you tell Rachel I was here?"

"Of course."

* * *

_November 12th, 2021_

The second night she was nervous. Nervous as hell. Last night had been perfect—absolutely perfect. And her dad had seen it. What if she couldn't do it again? What if tonight was a disaster and she got fired? What if—

A hand squeezed her shoulder. "Stop worrying," Quinn said, smiling. "You were fantastic, and you'll be fantastic again. And your dad sent you these," she said, producing a bouquet of roses.

"Thanks. He sent me a text a while ago saying good luck."

"Santana sent me one too. She wishes she could be here."

"You all came to opening night," Rachel said, smiling. "I know you can't come every night. Plus Brittany needs someone there for her audition. I'm glad you're here, though."

Quinn smiled and kissed her. "You get ready. I'll be waiting afterwards."

* * *

Quinn felt her phone buzz as the last strains of _La Vie Boheme _died away. Luckily, it was intermission, so she didn't feel bad checking it.

**From S: Brittany got it! Cirque de Solei's east coast tour! **

Quinn tried not to hyperventilate. She knew she wouldn't be able to tell Rachel until after, but she still entertained the idea of rushing backstage to find her wife. She sent a quick text back (_Tell her she's awesome and I'm so proud of her._) before making her way to the crowded bathroom.

As she was coming out, she spotted a reporter coming her way. "Here we go…" she muttered.

"Quinn Fabray! Hi, I'm—"

_So and so from TMZ. Or maybe New York Spotlight. They were the only ones who bugged them usually, _Quinn thought.

"Skylar Doane with the New York Spotlight. What do you have to say about the fact that your wife is still performing even though her father is dying in the hospital? Doesn't that—"

"I'm sorry, what?" Quinn snapped.

"Rachel Berry's father, Leroy?"

"Yeah, I know who her father is. What do you mean, dying in the hospital?"

"Is that not true?"

"We just saw him last night. He was fine. Rachel talked to him just before the show—"

"My sources from Memorial—"

"Someone from Memorial told you her dad was there?"

The reporter faltered. "Is it not true?" he repeated, trying to gain the higher ground again.

Fuck that. She was Quinn fucking Fabray. "First of all, our extended families' medical conditions are really none of your business. If there is anything we need to announce, we will. Second, thank you for telling me someone at a cancer treatment center is leaking patient information—or perceived patient information in this case. I'm about to call my lawyer wife and have her look into it. You said your name was Skylar Doane? Thanks. If you'll excuse me." She made her way outside and took out her phone. "Santana?"

"Quinn, hey! Is everything okay? You're using your panicked voice."

"I just got cornered by a reporter who got info off of someone at Memorial. Will you go check on Leroy? And text me when you do."

"I'm on it."

* * *

_November 13th, 2021_

_No other road, no other way_

_No day but today_

It was the third night, and so far it was just as perfect as the rest of them. Quinn smiled down at the stage, mouthing the words her girlfriend sang. She'd expected Rachel to get the part of Maureen—the part she'd tried out for originally—but Quinn had to admit that Rachel was a perfect Mimi.

_There's only us; only tonight_

_We must let go_

_To know what's right._

Quinn's phone buzzed.

_I can't control_

_(Control your temper)_

_My destiny_

_(She doesn't see)_

_I trust my soul_

_My only goal _

_Is just to be_

Quinn's phone buzzed again, and then a third time after a minute. She took it out, seeing three missed messages from Santana.

**From S: Get Rachel down here as soon as you can. It's Leroy.**

**From S: Seriously.**

**From S: Hurry**

Quinn took a few steadying breaths before hurrying out of the balcony.

_No day but today._

* * *

"Where is he?" Rachel asked, running in.

Quinn was right behind her. "Have you guys heard anything else?"

"Just that he has a lung infection and is…the doctor says he's deteriorating," Santana said softly, taking Rachel's hand. "He's awake now. You should go see him."

Rachel nodded. "Can you…can you guys give me a minute alone with him?"

"Sure Ray Bear," Brittany said, hugging her.

"We're right out here when you need us," Quinn told her.

This had to be some cosmic joke, Rachel thought. She gets a dream role in a Broadway musical about living life like it's your last moment, and her father starts dying of cancer. She tried, and failed, to hold back a sob as she entered the room.

"I'd sing Don't Cry for Me Argentina, but I don't think I can manage it," Leroy whispered. His speech sounded halted—like he was gasping for breath between every few words.

"Daddy…"

"Don't be sad for me. I'm happy. I got to see you live your dream. And I know you have a wonderful family looking after you."

"Please don't talk like that," Rachel said. "You're going to be fine."

"Honesty, respect, and dance: the foundations of the Berry household. It does neither of us any good to pretend this isn't happening."

Rachel nodded. "I don't want you to go. Not when I just got you back."

"I know. I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

_**LbN: Sorry for the wait! Had a bit of writer's block. There's a Glee poll on my profile, if you want to go vote. :)**_


	10. July 2024

**Oh How the Years Go By**

_July 2nd, 2024_

Rachel stood backstage and watched Brittany dance. She'd been there for every show of the tour's second half, watching in the wings. "Proud" didn't even begin to describe what she was feeling. When the blonde had come home in April, announcing that she'd been picked for the Aidene McCall summer tour, Rachel had nearly fainted.

Aidene McCall was that year's biggest pop star. 16, with shoulder length red hair, the girl had a genuinely amazing voice. Brittany loved her music and had signed up for auditions as soon as they were announced. She'd come home after two days of auditions with a bigger smile than anything the other three had ever seen. Three weeks later, she had boarded the tour bus—officially a backup dancer.

It had been hard, for the first month and a half. They'd Skyped every night, sometimes more, but Brittany still missed them. Rachel's show ended halfway through June, so she'd flown out to Nevada to see the Vegas show.

* * *

"_I missed you so much!" Brittany squealed, pulling Rachel into a hug. They were in the dancers' dressing room, but Brittany and one other girl were the only two there. They had the day off, and most people weren't hanging around the venue. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"_

"_I wanted to surprise you!" Rachel said. _

"_Hey Joanie!" Brittany called. "This is my wife, Rachel."_

"_Oh my god, Rachel Berry?" the other dancer squeaked, finally looking up. "I loved you in We Will Rock You. It's so nice to meet you."_

"_Thanks! It's nice to meet you too."_

"_Brittany? Joanie? Are you guys in here?" a voice called._

"_Yeah, Aidene!"_

_The singer walked in and stopped. "Oh. My. God."_

"_She's a fan," Brittany explained, smiling. _

"_It's nice to meet you," Rachel said._

"_Oh my god," Aidene repeated, bouncing up and down. "It's nice to meet you too. Brittany, why didn't you warn me? I look like hell today!"_

"_You do not, silly," Brittany said. "And I'm just as surprised as you are."_

"_You're coming to the show tomorrow, right?" Aidene asked Rachel. _

"_Of course! I'm excited to see you guys."_

"_Oh god, I'm so nervous now," the teen said, grinning from ear to ear. "Do you guys want to go to lunch?"_

"_Sure!" Brittany said. "Rachel?"_

"_That would be lovely."_

* * *

By the end of lunch, Aidene was even more in love with Rachel than before—which was saying something. She'd offered for the older woman to stay on tour with them, knowing how much Brittany had missed her. So Rachel had.

The show this afternoon was their second to last stop before heading home, and Rachel was glad. She missed Quinn and Santana, and she knew Brittany did too. Plus she was worried about the state of their apartment. She and Brittany had been gone for a month—who knew what they'd come back to.

The dancers came rushing off of stage as Aidene performed her last song by herself. One of them, Jimmy, ran over to the "family section" where Rachel and a few other people were sitting.

"Hey, have you guys all met my wife?" he asked. "This is Melanie, and our son Cassius."

Introductions were made, and Rachel stood by Brittany as the blonde played with the baby. She knew that look—Brittany got it anytime a child under the age of three was nearby…. "Don't get any ideas," she said, smiling.

"Too late for that," Brittany said.

* * *

Santana entered their apartment and leaned against the doorframe. Apparently it was "shit on the new kid" day at her firm. She was tired. All she wanted was pizza, a glass of wine, and a movie with Quinn. Well, actually, she wanted more than that. She wanted her other two wives back as well. With a deep sigh, she walked into the kitchen and marked another day off of the calendar. Less than a week until Rachel and Brittany came home. She spotted Quinn asleep on the couch and smiled. The blonde had fallen asleep with her laptop balanced on her stomach. Santana walked over and gently picked it up, trying not to wake the blonde. As she set it down on the table, her finger hit one of the keys and the screen came back to life.

"US adoption methods?" Santana said.

"Tana?" Quinn muttered sleepily.

"Hey you," Santana said, kissing her. "How were the urchins today?"

"They were—" Quinn stopped, seeing her laptop on the table. "Fine. Uh, I can explain that," she said, nodding to her laptop.

Santana smiled and kissed her again. "Let me go change and then we'll talk." She tried to contain her excitement.

Quinn wanted kids!

It was something they didn't really talk about. There were way too many worries about the nature of their relationship to want to bring it up, but Santana knew they all wanted children. She changed clothes quickly and went out to sit with Quinn. "How long have you been looking at this stuff?"

"All day."

"And before today?"

Quinn shrugged. "I'd done a couple of searches, but nothing in depth. Do you want kids, Santana?"

"You know I do."

"We should talk about it more when Britt and Rae get back," Quinn said, smiling.

Santana's phone buzzed then. "Speak of the devil." She opened the text message and promptly started laughing.

"What?" Quinn asked as Santana handed her the phone.

**Fr. Rae: Brittany's got baby envy. Looks like we'll be discussing children when we get back.**

"Talk about timing," Santana said, snuggling closer to Quinn.

_**LbN: If you're not getting alerts, check your settings and add FFN's email to your contacts. Also, there's a Glee poll on my profile, if you want to vote. :)**_


	11. October 2025

**Oh How the Years Go By**

_October 31st, 2025_

No. Absolutely not. This was not happening. This year had been too good, it couldn't start fucking up now. Quinn's book _The Darkest Doors _had come out in January, and hit the New York Times Best Sellers list in a matter of weeks. She had a huge advance from the publishers to write the sequel. Plus, they'd found out that she was pregnant. Extremely pregnant. Santana had been insufferable for at least a week ("Puck may have gotten her pregnant on the first try, but I did it without a dick. Be impressed.") Rachel had received her first Tony nomination in February, and had nearly broken every window in the house with her excited screams. Brittany's dance studio was doing great, and to top everything off, Santana had received a promotion around mid-June. Their year was fucking fantastic!

Unfortunately, their good luck had apparently run out.

"The everloving fuck are you doing here?" Santana snapped.

"My daughter is having my grandchild," Judy Fabray said coldly. "I should be at the birth."

Rachel jumped in front of Santana before Snix came out to play. "Listen," she said quietly. "Quinn needs you. Let me handle this. She needs you with her right now."

Santana took a few deep breaths and nodded. She followed the nurses who were taking Quinn to the delivery room.

Brittany gave Rachel a look and mouthed "Thank you" as she followed them. The last thing they needed was for Santana to go to jail tonight.

"Mrs. Fabray," Rachel said, trying to stay calm. "You may not see Quinn, or our babies."

"Our?" Judy asked. "If you think for one moment that I'm going to stand by and let my grandchild be raised by—"

"Let me stop you there," Rachel growled. "For these to be your grandchildren, Quinn would have to be your daughter, and you and Russell made it perfectly clear that she wasn't 13 years ago. You decided you didn't want her in your life, which means you have less than zero say in anything to do with these kids."

"She's having more than one?"

"Yes. And before you start making threats, you should know that Santana is the single most badass lawyer in the entire country, and she's looked up laws regarding poly-amorous couples. We're in the clear, thanks to a metric shit ton of paperwork and many sleepless nights."

"None of you are married!"

"And? There's this thing called adoption."

"So you all adopted the babies?" Judy had lost then outraged tone and now just sounded confused.

"No. But I'm not going into it any further with you. We are a family. That's all you need to know. And if you're thinking about taking us to court, well…" She smiled and shrugged. "I saved you from Santana tonight, but you'll be in her playground then. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a girlfriend to see to."

* * *

"How's it going?" Rachel asked.

"She wants to kill Santana," Brittany muttered. Rachel could tell she was smiling behind her mask.

"How the HELL did you three talk me into this?" Quinn yelled, pushing. "I fucking wanted to adopt!"

"You're doing great, baby," Santana said. She was stuck in a permanent grimace, as Quinn had her hand in a death grip.

"Okay, Quinn, that's one!" their doctor said happily. "And it looks like the other's following right behind."

It didn't take long. Thirty minutes later, Quinn was holding their son and Rachel was holding their (screaming) daughter.

"Looks like she's going to take after Mommy Rachel," Quinn said, smiling. Rachel grinned.

"They're perfect," Brittany said, wrapping her arms around Santana.

"Okay," Santana said, holding up to sheets of paper. "Birth certificates are finished. I'll be right back. I'm going to run these to the nurse."

Naming the babies had been easy. Each girl had picked a few names, and they'd all voted. Rachel and Santana had named the boy (Leroy Justice Lopez) and Brittany and Quinn had named the girl (Zara Natalia Lopez).

"I want to hold her," Brittany said, sitting in the seat Santana had vacated.

Rachel handed the baby to Brittany and sat smiling at them. "You know she's out there sending mass texts to everyone, right?" she asked Quinn.

"Yep. So…what did my mom want?"

Rachel opened and closed her mouth a couple of times.

"I saw her as they were wheeling me out of my room."

"She wanted the kids…or, at least that's what it seemed like."

"Did you tell her that Santana would rip her a new asshole if she tried anything."

"Language…and yes. Not in those words exactly, but she got the picture."

Quinn glanced down at their son, a worried expression on her face.

"Hey," Rachel said. "Everything's going to be fine. Everything."

Quinn smiled and nodded.

There was a knock at the door, and Santana peeked in. "Some of our nosey friends are here," she said, smiling. "You up to seeing a few people, Q?"

"How many is 'a few'?"

"The entire glee club."

"What?" all three women asked.

"Nah, just kidding. However, they will be here tomorrow. For now, it's just my parents."

Quinn smiled brightly, yawned, and nodded. "Yeah. Tell them to come on in."


	12. June 2027

_**LbN: Here's the final chapter! Thank you all for reading and reviewing!**_

_June 10th, 2027  
_

Rachel tried not to get her hopes up, but she couldn't lie to herself. Her hopes had been up ever since she got the call. She'd been passed over for years…tonight had to be the night.

"You ready?" Santana asked, handing her a towel.

She dried her hands, nodding. "As I'll ever be. Come on."

* * *

"I'm so nervous," Brittany said. "She's worked so hard this year."

"I know," Quinn agreed. "Leroy, come back from the screen, honey."

"Mommy Rae!" he squealed, pointing at the TV.

"Yes, that's Mommy Rae and Mama. Come sit with me."

The boy waddled over and curled up next to Quinn. On her other side, Zara was already asleep on Brittany's lap.

Quinn hadn't prayed in years, and hoped that didn't count against her, because she was definitely praying now. She wanted Rachel to win. It wouldn't be fair if she didn't. She'd starred in a brand new musical that had opened in July of the previous year. _A Kind of Delirium _was a huge departure from the types of musicals she'd performed in before. She'd played the main character—a guidance counselor who is helping a boy who has another personality. The musical was dark, but it was well loved from its first week. If Rachel didn't get this Tony, Quinn was fully prepared to riot.

"And the nominees for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical are… Rachel Berry in _A Kind of Delirium_. Jackie Soza in _Wicked_. Madeline Foster in _Forever Young_. And Andrea Timmons in _Matilda_."

Quinn took Brittany's hand and held her breath.

* * *

"And the Tony goes to… Rachel Berry, _A Kind of Delirium_!"

She sat frozen for a split second. Then Santana leaned over and kissed her, and everything came rushing back. She stood and made her way to the stage, completely on autopilot.

"Congratulations," Idina Menzel whispered as she handed her the award.

"Thank you." Rachel stood at the podium, looking out at the people and the cameras. "My friends will probably tease me tomorrow. I've had my acceptance speech for my first Tony written since I was 13—and I can't remember a word now." She smiled as the audience chuckled. "To my fellow cast members—it's been a long road, and lots of hard work, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. You guys have been fantastic! Especially you, Mizi! She's had to put up with me and my odd make up allergies this year. It's safe to say that she's a saint. To my family—Santana, my protector, Brittany, my light, Quinn, my rock, and Leroy and Zara, my gorgeous, amazing children—I would not be here without you. I love you more than I have time to describe. Thank you so much for believing in me—for supporting me. Thank you all!" She blew a kiss and followed the presenters off the stage.

* * *

Quinn was sobbing.

Brittany was jumping around.

Leroy was wondering how his mom got into the TV.

And Zara was pissed that her moms had woken her up.

It was a good night.

* * *

"Shhh!" Rachel said, giggling as Santana got handsy in the hallway. "They're probably asleep by now."

"Guess again, Berry," Quinn said, opening the door to their room a little wider. She grinned as Brittany came out and tackled the smaller woman in a hug. "Come on, we have an award to celebrate." With a wink at Santana, she led the way back into their room.

_**Fin**_

_**LbN: Thanks for reading, guys! Don't forget to vote on the poll! It's on my profile. :)  
**_


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